Texas officials target climate science in textbooks

The Texas State Board of Education altered its internal guidance to schools last month to emphasize the “positive” aspects of fossil fuels in science textbooks.

The changes are raising concerns among scientists, education experts and other board members that the panel is establishing policies that undermine basic tenets of climate change.

The Republican-dominated board adopted a series of changes to its operating rules last month.

Oil and gas industry has long had its thumb on the scale of how Texas children are taught about climate change and fossil fuels.

The changes threaten to influence a generation of children who could be “profoundly miseducated about a severe risk,” says a climate scientist at Texas A&M University.

“It’s a very organized minority of people who have extreme views, and they’re learning how to lobby the board members and the legislators with a very strict line on every possible subject in science, in history.” She added that this small group of vocal people who reject climate science is influencing the educational opportunities of millions of children. And their ideas are spreading to other states. “These states are models for other states, and they are coordinating their efforts,” said Bell-Metereau..